INAUGURAL PAYOFF

By Dan Miller
January 21, 2009 

I've witnessed (on TV) lots of presidential inaugurations, but Barack Obama's might well be the most inspiring yet. 

Whenever the cameras panned across the aggregation of nearly two million souls there in the National Mall, I saw the true face of America. 

They were openly shedding tears of joy... witnessing and celebrating something they'd waited a lifetime for, and thought they'd never see. 

In many ways, this election represents a payoff. 

It's a small portion of the reward for generations of folks in our country who've long struggled for equal rights and privileges. 

It's also the payoff for the supporters of candidate Barack Obama, who invested time, money, emotion and passion in this election. 

But I can also see another big payoff a few years down the road. 

Maybe an unexpected one. 

Of all the sights that caught my eye, my favorite was Obama's young daughter Malia, perhaps unknowingly, creating an investment that could yield a significant payoff in the future. 

During the inauguration, and the days preceding it, we all saw Malia with her digital camera in hand, snapping her own photos. 

My first thought was, hey, why is she taking those photos? 

There'll be countless professional videos and photographs for her to choose from, showing all the images she'd like to remember. 

But think about it.... 

Someday.... beyond a time she can even imagine.... those photos, snapped from the unique perspective of a little girl watching her daddy become president, will become priceless national treasures. 

You can count on it.

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